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Writing and Roleplaying Guild Wiki:Policies Overview/Plagiarism and Copyright Policy
:::::::::"Plagiarism is the fear of a blank page." :::::::::::::~Mokokoma Mokhonoana Plagiarism is a lot like a white lie, something that most likely we have all done at one time or another whether we meant to or not. Maybe we were desperate for a good grade, maybe we figured no one would ever find out, and I'm sure there are going to be times that maybe no one will find out, but that doesn't make it right. Whether you are taking someone's coding they worked hard on, copying bits of a story they wrote or using an image that doesn't belong to you, without their permission it isn't an OK thing to do, and it is not something that will be tolerated on this Wiki. If you are caught plagiarizing or using things that do not belong to you, appropriate corrective action will be taken in accordance to the severity of the transgression. Images As stated in the Image Policy, any images that are clearly and visibly marked with copyright stamps and/or watermarks will be removed. Also, any images used off DeviantArt as the source site that have been clearly noted on the source page that they are not allowed to be used off DeviantArt with or without permission will also be removed. There have been actual cases where DeviantArt users will occasionally surf the internet checking on their work through reverse image search and have come down hard when catching Wiki users who have used the images. Please be careful. Info About Copyright The most commonly used options are as follows: All Rights Reserved The copyright holder retains all the rights provided by copyright law, such as distribution, performance, and creation of their work. In some ways, you have total control over your story, but since copyright doesn’t give you a complete monopoly, others can still use your story in certain ways, by including short excerpts in reviews and recs, creating fanart or covers for you, etc. Public Domain It’s also known as “No rights reserved”. Technically, putting a work in the public domain in most countries can be a complicated process, but if you select this option, you’re telling everyone that they can use your story for any purpose; they can print it and sell it, they can make a movie out of it, anything they want. If you select this option, you relinquish all copyrights that you hold in the story. Creative Commons Creative Commons has shared the text of a number of types of copyright licenses. If you select one, you reserve some of the right to your story, but you’re also giving the general public some licenses, like the right to translate your story, or make a film using your dialogue, or even print it to sell at a fancon. Individuals wanting to collaborate with a writer must go through this route. There are several Creative Commons licenses to suit your needs: *'Attribution BY:' others can use and distribute your work, but they must attribute the work to you *'Share Alike BY-SA:' others can use your work, but whatever they use it for must be shared too *'No Derivative BY-ND:' your work can be used, word for word, but you can’t remix or change it *'Non Commercial BY-NC:' people can use your work, but can’t make money from it For more information on Creative Commons copyright options, please visit: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/ User Intellectual Property Here at the Writing and Roleplaying Guild, we all have rights to our own intellectual property, which is to say that we each have the final word in how our ideas are copied, changed, or used anywhere else on the wiki. Intellectual property rights are a difficult thing to manage, as it is often ambiguous whether an idea is truly original, and the differences between one idea and another may be extremely small. Thus, three primary tools come to bear when dealing with this issue: The wording of the idea, the date it was first recorded, and our own common sense. 1. The best and easiest way to deal with an issue of 'copyright' is to look at the way it is used and worded. Some concepts are so broad or common that they simply cannot be owned by any particular person. Examples of this might be 'vampires', or 'green aliens'. However, if the ideas become more specific, such as 'glittering vampires with red wings', or 'green reptilian aliens with six legs', then we approach the level at which the idea is separable from something more general, or someone else's more specific idea. 2. Since we cannot confirm when a user originally conceived of an idea, whether on the wiki or elsewhere, the only dating we have to work with is when it was first published here. As such, this date, down to the hour or minute if necessary, serves as an objective way for us to judge who's idea has primacy. Ideally consulting the date at which something was published should come after a review of the wording, since it should first be established whether the ideas are similar enough to require any action at all. 3. When it comes down to it the best thing we can do as users and administrators is use common sense. If someone has copied huge amounts of your work, or several of your very personal ideas, it's understandable that you might become frustrated, and everything will be done to set that right. However, if someone is simply using a very simple concept you conceived, then it might be better to ask them to change it slightly, or ignore it all together. In the end writers inevitably influence and inspire one another. Free Use Limitations However, given the free and open nature of this wiki, specific characters, concepts, and settings may find themselves in various user's hands as a simple matter of course. Naturally some may choose to let these things be used by others, and so it is also up to them to ensure that these things are not misused. Fortunately the wiki provides a structure for this, and it functions fairly simply, breaking things down into a few separate categories. 1. Fan Fiction. This category is for anything using a setting, characters, or more general concepts from a major published author. Since the author is not present, these ideas may be manipulated freely by the user, within the limits of established policy. 2. Appropriated Setting. This category is for anything using a setting established by a user here on the wiki. The specifics of the user's WIP These rights are not state, federal, or international law, and can only be enforced within the jurisdiction of the wiki's administration. Category:Policy